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RUNAWAY TEENS & “Street Youth”

RUNAWAY TEENS & “Street Youth”. LGBTQ YOUTH IN TROUBLE! WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?. ANSWERING NEEDS. OPENING DOORS. www.1800RUNAWAY.org 1-800-RUNAWAY 1-800-786-2929. RUNAWAY STATISTICS. 2.8 Million youth run away from home each year 1.6 Million youth spend at least one night on the streets.

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RUNAWAY TEENS & “Street Youth”

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  1. RUNAWAY TEENS& “Street Youth” LGBTQ YOUTH IN TROUBLE! WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP? ANSWERING NEEDS. OPENING DOORS. www.1800RUNAWAY.org 1-800-RUNAWAY 1-800-786-2929

  2. RUNAWAY STATISTICS • 2.8 Million youth run away from home each year • 1.6 Million youth spend at least one night on the streets • 1 out of 5 youth runaway from home at some point in their lives • Of those, roughly half run away multiple times • Equal numbers of males and females run away • From all socio-economic & ethnic groups

  3. WHY LEAVE HOME? • #1 Reason is Family Conflict • LGBTQ Youth feel Rejected • Economic Distress of Family is an Increasing Factor 70% report abuse or threat of abuse prior to leaving

  4. FOSTER CARE YOUTH • Teens in foster care have a difficult time adjusting to out of home placement • No matter how bad the home of origin and how good the foster home, teens often favor their biological parents • Independent Living program offered by CDS helps foster youth age out of care successfully

  5. LGBTQ FOSTER CARE YOUTH • LGBTQ youth may be rejected by their own families due to their sexual orientation • LGBTQ youth may disrupt foster care placement due to insensitive foster families • Some foster parents try to impose their beliefs on youth which may include that homosexuality is “sinful”

  6. LGBTQ Foster Youth in Trouble! Youth who are rejected by family due to sexual orientation are: • 3 times more likely to use illegal drugs • At increased risk for contracting HIV/STDs • 6 times more likely to experience depression • 8 times more likely to attempt suicide

  7. RUNAWAY or THROWAWAY? • Roughly 1/3 of teens on the streets consider themselves runaways • Roughly half of street teens say they were kicked out of home • The rest describe their leaving as a combination • Up to 40% of street youth describe themselves as LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender, questioning)

  8. HOMELESS KIDS runaway criminals delinquents dropouts street youth squatter victims locked out traveler panhandlers orphans vagabond throwaway prostitutes homeless addicts

  9. HOMELESS IN ALACHUA COUNTY

  10. How Runaways Survive • Friends & Relatives • Personal Savings • Panhandling • Stealing • Selling Drugs • Sex Industry • Employment (Arrows indicate trends over past ten years – panhandling has increased most dramatically with sex, drugs, and stealing also used to support oneself. Runaways supporting themselves by employment has decreased) • Females are more likely to ask for help, call hotlines, & go to shelters

  11. LGBTQ Employment Federal Government Prohibits Discrimination in Employment: • Race • Color • Gender • Religion • National Origin • Age • Disability There is No Federal Protection Against Discrimination Due to Sexual Orientation

  12. WHERE DO THEY SLEEP? • More than half have stayed at a friend’s or relative’s house for at least one night • Some spend the night in parks, beaches, hospitals, rooftops, abandoned buildings, & public transportation • Half eventually end up staying at shelters (Story about foster child who took crystal meth to stay awake all night)

  13. STREET YOUTH DANGERS 1 in 3 youth are lured into prostitution within 48 hours of being on the streets Homeless youth are: • 2-3 times more likely to be raped or assaulted • 18 times more likely to use crack cocaine • 16 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV • 7 times more likely to die of AIDS 32% have attempted suicide

  14. CHILD PROSTITUTION • Average age to become a commercial sex worker in USA is 13-14. • In Florida, the age is 11-12 • ¾ of prostituted children were “lured” into it • ¼ of are taken by force

  15. SEXUALLY EXPLOITED • Super Bowl event attracts 10,000 commercial sex workers – no one knows how many are under age 18 • Life expectancy is 7 years from time of entry into prostitution • California, Texas, Florida, and New York are primary destinations states for sale of commercial sex workers

  16. HUMAN TRAFFICKING • 56% of human trafficking victims are sexually exploited (down from 79%) • There were 5 million slaves in 1850 • Now there are 21.8 million slaves (down from 27 million)

  17. LGBTQ Youth Runaway Risk #1 risk factor for becoming a domestic minor sex trafficking victim: RUNNING AWAY

  18. TOP 3 CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES • Drug Sales • Human Trafficking • Weapons Sales LGBTQ YOUTH AT GREATER RISK!

  19. MORE DANGERS • Increase risk of • Teen pregnancy • Mental illness • Dropping out of school • Sexually transmitted diseases • Using drugs, drinking alcohol, smoking • Becoming ill, malnourished, or injured • Dying young

  20. ASKING FOR HELP • Homeless youth are afraid to ask for help because they expect repercussions for leaving home • 70% left impulsively – fear of embarrassment • Fear of police/incarceration, foster care system, or being returned to parents. • Girls are more likely than boys to ask for help

  21. Resources to Help LGBTQ Youth • National Runaway Safeline • National Safe Place • RHYTTAC • CDS Family & Behavioral Health Services Interface Youth Shelters and Family Action Counseling

  22. NATIONAL RUNAWAY SAFELINE New Logo to go with New Name – Effective January 15, 2013

  23. NATIONAL RUNAWAY SAFELINE • 24/7 Hotline • Crisis Counselors speak with kids who are thinking about running away, kids who have runaway, and parents of runaways • 2011 Statistics • 56% of youth calls were from kids on the streets • 43% of youth calls were from kids contemplating running away or were experiencing crisis at home • Half the youth calls were teens age 16-18 • More than half of youth callers called within first week out of home

  24. HOW MANY LOCAL KIDS CALL National Runaway Safeline? • 387 kids spoke with National Runaway Safeline operators from the (352) area code in 2012 • 245 kids from the (386) area code

  25. HOME FREE by Greyhound NRS Partner Greyhound Bus System gives kids a free ride home. About 8000 youth take advantage of this once in a lifetime privilege each year The Ludacris Foundation explains in this PSA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX3qTC7MI3o&feature=relmfu

  26. NATIONAL SAFE PLACE Original logo was replaced by the new logo in 2013

  27. NATIONAL SAFE PLACE STATISTICS • Established in 1983 in a Kentucky YMCA • NSP is in 39 states • 1600 communities • Over 20,000 sites • Over quarter million youth have accessed help through National Safe Place • Over 10 million youth have attended NSP presentations in classrooms

  28. NATIONAL SAFE PLACEwww.nationalsafeplace.org Mission: Safe Place provides access to immediate help and supportive resources for all young people in crisis through a network of sites sustained by qualified agencies, trained volunteers, and businesses. Vision: Safe Place will be universally recognized and used by youth across America as the place to go for immediate help and safety. (National Safe Place, 2008)

  29. NATIONAL SAFE PLACE Services are coordinated through: • Emergency shelters • Runaway shelters • Not-for-profit youth-serving agencies • And in some rural areas, host homes CDS Family & Behavioral Health Services runs the Interface Youth Shelters and is the agency that coordinates the National Safe Place & National Runaway Switchboard activities in North Central Florida which includes 11 counties.

  30. TXT 4 HELP Most youth have access to a cell phone and may be more comfortable texting than talking over the phone. TXT 4 HELP was established by National Safe Place in 2011 to help kids access help. Text the word “SAFE” and your location to 69866 and you will immediately receive a text response listing the nearest Safe Place location along with a toll-free number to call and an option to “chat” electronically.

  31. RHYTTAC assists recipients of Basic Center Grant, Street Outreach funding, Transitional Living Program funding, & Maternity Group Home grants CDS CEO Jim Pearce is an active board member of RHYTTAC RHYTTAC has identified LGBTQ issues as one of their top priorities RHYTTAC The Runaway and Homeless Youth Training and Technical Assistance Center, or RHYTTAC, is funded by the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children and Families, Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) as the training and technical assistance provider for all RHY grantees.

  32. CDS INTERFACE YOUTH SHELTERS • Located in Gainesville, Palatka, and Lake City • Accommodate 500-600 youth per year (Plus 300-400 non-residential youth assisted through outpatient counseling annually) • Youth are homeless, runaway, truant, or ungovernable - and 10-17 years old • Participants learn social skills during stay (Average length of stay is 20 days, 3-5 weeks is ideal) • Youth go to school while sheltered • Counselors work with youth to resolve issues

  33. Truancy & Suspension • Interface Central is the Alachua County Truancy Center • CDS is an active member of SARB (Student Attendance Review Board) • Interface can help families with children who have been suspended from school • Life Skills Instructor teaches youth who are not able to attend school

  34. CDS INTERFACE DIRECTORS(central) Cassandra Evans McCray Zeke Whitter

  35. INTERFACE YOUTH SHELTER(Central) 1400 NW 29 Road, Gainesville, FL 32607 (352) 244-0618

  36. INTERFACE YOUTH SHELTER(Northwest) 1884 SW Grandview Street, Lake City, FL 32025 (386) 487-0190

  37. INTERFACE YOUTH SHELTER(East) 2919 Kennedy Street, Palatka, FL 32177 (386) 385-0405

  38. CDS Statistics on Sexual Orientation Fiscal Year 2012-2013 • 150 of 753 - No data (didn’t answer) • 198 of 753 - Heterosexual • 1 of 753 - Bisexual • 2 of 753 - Questionable/Unsure • 402 of 753 - Not known/determined None of the youth chose “gay” or “lesbian” as their sexual orientation on intake forms

  39. FAMILY ACTION COUNSELING • Youth age 6-17 • Similar issues as Interface Shelter Youth (runaway, defiant, etc.) • Counselors meet youth and families at convenient locations • Counselors work with whole family

  40. FAMILY ACTION COUNSELORS Isaiah Harmon x3828 Kimberli Dawson x3830 (352) 244-0628 www.cdsfl.org

  41. INDEPENDENT LIVING(352) 244-0628 x 3840 or 3836 • For youth aging out of foster care • Age 13-18 • Assistance available through age 23 to help youth stay in school or pursue a career

  42. Youth Talk Phone Line TOPICS Alcohol and Drugs Abuse Sex Birth Control & Pregnancy Relationships Feelings Family Problems Rules School , Career, & Life Women’s Issues FREE SERVICE OFFERED BY CDS FAMILY & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

  43. What is Being Done? Human Rights Campaign Programs: • All Children-All Families Program -Working to improve cultural competency within institutions • Family Acceptance Program • Religion & Faith Program promoting family acceptance among target populations (Latinos, African-Americans, & white evangelicals) • Supporting legislation to help homeless youth

  44. HRC LGBT YOUTH SURVEY • More than 10,000 LGBT youth surveyed age 13-17 • LGBT youth identified different concerns than non-LGBT • 37% of LGBT youth say they are happy now vs. 67% of non-LGBT • 63% of LGBT youth believe they will have to move to feel accepted compared to 31% of non-LGBT

  45. Foster Parents • The Child Welfare Information Gateway offers a free 12 page guide to help train foster parents in cultural competency “Supporting Your LGBTQ Youth:A Guide for Foster Parents” • LGBT adults can foster and adopt • There are foster homes locally that specialize in LGBTQ youth

  46. WHAT CAN YOU DO? • Support all legislation and activities that promote cultural competency and diversity appreciation • Talk about issues • Foster or adopt children and teens • Volunteer at CDS/Interface Youth Shelter or other youth-serving agency

  47. RESOURCES • National Safe Place www.nationalsafeplace.org • National Runaway Safelinewww.1800runaway.org/ • Two Links to other national agencies that help runaways www.1800runaway.org/learn/helpful_links/agencies/ http://nationalsafeplace.org/helpful-links/ • CDS Family & Behavioral Health Services www.cdsfl.org (Interface Youth Shelters, Family Action counseling, and Independent Living in North Central Florida) • National Toll-Free Number to report suspected human trafficking: 888-3737-888 • National Toll-Free Number to report suspected child abuse: 800-96-ABUSE

  48. CDS Family & Behavioral Health Services Community Outreach/ Safe Place Specialist 3615 SW 13th Street, Suite 4 Gainesville, FL 32608 (352) 244-0628 x3865 radha_selvester@cdsfl.org INTERFACE YOUTH SHELTER 1400 NW 29 Road, Gainesville, FL 32607 (352) 244-0618 Radha Selvester

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